Shell fined £40,000 for Mossmorran Co2 failings

The company blames a metering error for the breach and stress the slip-up had no impact on the actual amount of carbon dioxide released from the Mossmorran plant close to Cowdenbeath.

The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has revealed that Shell have been fined over £40,000 for failure to comply with condition 4 of a greenhouse gas emissions permit.

The operator did not surrender sufficient allowances to cover its annual reportable emissions from the installation under-reporting greenhouse gas emissions between 2013 and 2015.

However, Green Party MSP Mark Ruskell told the Press the latest breach of regulations raises fresh concerns about the long-term future of the ethylene plant.

He added: “This is a significant breach of regulations by Shell and yet another example of the company stumbling over environmental and safety compliance. Reducing our greenhouse gas emissions is a collective responsibility for all of society, and it’s not enough to just say sorry and move on.

“A lack of investment and an aging plant means these errors are more and more likely to occur.

“The issues that need to be addressed in Sepa and the HSE’s current investigation are now stacking up, and it seriously needs to consider whether this plant can continue to operate as it is.”

In response to the fines issued by SEPA in relation to Mossmorran, spokesperson for Shell UK said: “Earlier this year, Shell identified an issue with a historical emissions reporting calculation, corrected the calculation and immediately disclosed updated data to SEPA to rectify the error.

“We very much regret this situation.

“Shell prioritises the safety of our staff, community and care for the environment.

“The inadvertent reporting error had no impact on actual levels of carbon dioxide emitted by the plant.”